Baker & Taylor

• Baker & Taylor is a vendor that itself notes it is "the world's largest distributor of physical and digital content. Baker & Taylor works with a variety of library types and systems to get a diverse range of content out to the populace. The vendor has been an institution since 1828 and has stayed at the cutting edge of technology. The site is mostly used as an introduction to the vendor, with various "Welcome pages" for academic, public, and school libraries. There is information for how to go through the company to get items both domestically and internationally. Two fun features include the "Hot Content" and "Trends" sections.Viewers can download publications offered by Baker & Taylor like "Fast Facts" as eBooks or pdfs for free on the site
• I have not personally used Baker & Taylor, but I have seen the way the vendor's bins and processing work and if I do my own collection development in the future, could certainly see myself using the company.
• I first encountered the name of the company in my Collection Development course. I first encountered the collection development process with Baker & Taylor via MCPL's collection development department.

Book Wholesalers, Inc. (BWI)

• BWI spends a lot of time making its site seem as if it is a reference tool. There are plenty of links to suggestions, "inside talk," and new release ideas on the main page. Viewers have to dig a little deeper to actual content about the vending. There are links at the top of the page for this. BWI boasts different packages and services libraries can get into, including playaways (oh, playaways). BWI also offers a service where the company uses MLS trained librarians to build collections for, well, other assumedly trained MLS librarians. Free webinars and a blog are also available.
• It does not hurt to use multiple vendors, if possible, to get the best pricing. I can see using BWI in the future as a vendor and even using the "Hot" booklists to see what titles are trending and compare them to my monthly Goodreads newsletter.
• I first encountered this company in my Collection Development course.

Capstone

• Capstone was launched in 1991. In the time since, the vendor has been able to propel itself forward to become the "number one" vendor for preschool through high school materials. Capstone is also used by library systems. Highlights of the content sold include nonfiction graphic novels and vocabulary controlled titles. The vendor is known for publishing series and pages and pages of these series are listed on Capstone's site. Besides series, viewers can search titles by leveling, through "collection wiz," through national standards, and even through resources like author searches. Capstone also offers digital content, including apps and games. One must register or find a local sales representative to get more information on the actual vending process. The site does have a section for media contacts, which is a different touch.
• I have used Capstone graphic novels before in projects and consider them an invaluable resource. I can definitely see myself using this vendor in the future.
• I first encountered this vendor as an intern at MCPL.